Welcome to Fatherhood
by MamaBearKat
Summary: Very pregnant Lucy has had it! Luckily she has her lovable dork of a husband Natsu to help her when she needs him most. Babies are a steep learning curve, but they're ready to tackle this next step as they always do, together. Serial style updates - you can expect fluff, and sweetness, occasional family angst, but mostly joy. M for language, adult themes.
1. And Baby Makes Three

_You might remember the beginning of this story as 'The No Good Very Bad Day'. Well, here's the expanded version. This will be a serial, which I'll add to from time to time, whenever I feel like writing a little bit of modern AU family NaLu. Expect sweetness and fluff, occasional family angst, but mostly just happy times with Natsu and Lucy and the newest member of the Dragneel family. Enjoy!_

* * *

"Hey Luce, I got that garlic bread that you wanted", called out Natsu, pushing the front door to their apartment shut behind him. He walked into the kitchen with the grocery bags, plonking them onto the bench next to the sink. It looked like Lucy had already made a start on dinner; a rich bolognese sauce was simmering on the stove, and the spaghetti was bubbling in a pot of salted water. He turned on the oven and put the foil wrapped garlic bread in; dinner looked like it would be ready any minute.

"Luce?" called out Natsu, wondering where his wife had got to. He had his answer a few seconds later as he heard the toilet flush, and he grinned, realising he should have known where she would be. Lucy's constant visits to the bathroom now that she was eight and a half months pregnant were a running joke between them, one that she was getting mightily tired of.

Natsu put the groceries away while he waited for Lucy to appear, then peered down the hallway with a little trepidation, wondering which Lucy would greet him tonight. Over the last two weeks, her mood swings were getting a little… extreme. Not that he was complaining too much. At least he wasn't the one that was going to have to push a baby out anytime soon. Nevertheless, he smiled in relief when Lucy looked happy to see him, although she also looked exhausted.

Her long golden locks were shoved into a messy bun, and she was already changed into her pj's even though it was only early in the evening – a stretched black singlet top that used to be his and a pair of boxers with the waistband pushed down below her baby bump. One more day of work, and she'd be on maternity leave, and then only two weeks until Lucy's due date.

He watched lovingly as Lucy waddled down the hallway towards him, one arm rubbing on the small of her back. He'd learned very early on not to say the word 'waddled' but really, now that her baby bump was so large, there was no other word for the way she walked. He found it endearing; Lucy, not so much.

She stood on tiptoe to give him a squeezy hug, well, the best approximation she could with her baby bump in the way. "I'm so glad to see you", she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. Guessing it was probably aching again, Natsu rubbed her lower back in firm circles with his thumbs, and she groaned in relief, making him chuckle. He kissed the top of her head in greeting.

"Did something bad happen at work today?" he asked with concern, continuing to knead her sore muscles.

"Not really", Lucy said. "I'm just so tired Natsu. The lift broke down and I had to walk down three flights of stairs for a meeting, and then back up again. At least it was fixed by the time I left to go home."

She gave him a small affectionate peck on the lips and walked slowly over to the pasta, hand resting on her lower back again. "Why don't you go wash up while I organise this. Should only be a minute or two before its ready."

Natsu wandered down the hallway of their small apartment to the bathroom, quickly washing and drying his hands. As he walked back past what used to be the spare bedroom, he couldn't help but stop to lean on the door frame to gaze around the room in wonder, like he did every time he walked past this door since they'd finally finished decorating last weekend. Even though he had attended every ultrasound, read all the 'dad' chapters in Lucy's pregnancy books and attended every information class at the hospital, decorating this room… this is what made fatherhood begin to feel real for him.

The once beige walls were painted a pale yellow, and cheerful yellow gingham curtains decorated the window. A white chest of drawers was filled with little baby onesies and singlets, and a blue pram was pushed into the corner. Cloth nappies were stacked on the wooden change table, sharing the space with creams and baby wipes. A plastic baby bath was stored underneath, a bright yellow rubber duck sitting proudly in its centre.

They had created a mural on one of the blank walls. He had painted a friendly red dragon flying in a night sky, which Lucy had filled with silver stars and a smiling moon. Leaning up against the wall near the doorway was a big cardboard box that contained the pieces of a wooden cradle. That was his job for this weekend; to put it together and set it up in their bedroom, ready to be used by their son or daughter when they brought him or her home. Natsu ran his hand over the edge of the box, picturing Lucy rocking a tiny sleeping baby in the cradle, and he couldn't help his joyful grin. He couldn't wait.

A sudden squeal and crash had Natsu sprinting back to the kitchen. Lucy was sitting on her knees on the kitchen floor sobbing, with the upturned pasta pot and water spilled over the floor. He dragged her backwards away from the spreading water and helped her sit down on one of the kitchen chairs, examining her anxiously.

"Fuck Luce, are you okay? Did you burn yourself?" He turned her hands over, checking for burns, patting her pyjamas to see if they were wet anywhere, and then stooped down to check her legs and bare feet. When he couldn't find any injuries, he cupped Lucy's face in his hands, trying to wipe away her tears with his thumbs as they continued to fall. "Tell me, what's wrong babe? You're worrying me!"

Lucy's face contorted as she tried to get words out through her sobs. "Can't do anything right", she finally managed, trying to get a hold of her emotions. "So stupid… and clumsy… dropped the pot… fell out of my hands."

"Hey", Natsu crooned, still stroking her face. "It's just pasta Luce, it's not worth all these tears. I can just make more. Please don't cry." He put his arms around her shoulders and rocked back and forth, and Lucy buried her face in his shoulder, still crying. When her sobs started to calm down, Natsu pulled back a little so he could reach the box of tissues on the table. He dried her eyes and handed her another tissue, so she could blow her nose.

While Lucy sat on the chair, gradually becoming calmer, he began to clean up. Not wanting to risk her slipping on the wet floor, he stripped off his black t-shirt, and mopped up the water, wringing it into the sink, then scooped up all the pasta in his hands and put it into the bin. He decided Lucy probably needed to eat sooner rather than later, and after putting the empty pot in the sink, he turned off the oven and stove and served the chunky mince bolognese sauce into two bowls, adding a few hunks of garlic bread and a fork to each. He carried them into the lounge room and placed them on the coffee table and came back for his girl.

"Do you wanna tell me what's really wrong Luce?", he asked, helping her get to her feet. She leaned on him as they walked into the lounge room, still sniffling. Natsu sat down on the sofa, stretched out length ways, and helped Lucy sit down so she was cradled in between his legs, her back resting against his bare chest. He reached out and started rubbing her stomach in circles, kissing the top of her head. "Tell me, baby girl, I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

Lucy sighed, still hiccuping a little. "I'm sorry I cried like that. Nothings really wrong", she said. "Just a lot of little somethings that all built up I guess, that turned it into a bad day. It started when I got dressed for work this morning. My feet were all swollen and none of my shoes fit. I had to wear my slippers to work."

Natsu tried very hard not to, but a small snort of laughter escaped. Lucy tapped him on the arm. "Fine", she grumbled, "you can laugh, everyone one else at work did too." That stopped his laughter, and he began rubbing small circles again, kissing the top of her head gently in apology.

"What else happened Luce?"

"Well, I already told you that the lift was out. I had to walk downstairs for a meeting, and when I got there, I realised that the folder I needed was still on my desk, and I had to walk all the way up there again and back down, and then I was late." Natsu murmured sympathetically.

"Then because I was late, by the time I had lunch they'd run out of all the sandwiches I like in the café downstairs. All they had left was curried egg, but I was so hungry I bought it and it gave me horrible heartburn all afternoon. And I've had these stupid Braxton Hicks contractions all damn day. But that wasn't the worst part." Natsu hugged her tighter, racking his brain for comforting phrases to say after Lucy revealed what might have made her so upset.

"I was talking to the new sales manager about who he'd need to contact for that big conference next month, when Levy popped in with the twins to say hi to everyone who hadn't got to see them when she was in hospital." Although Lucy smiled at the thought of Levy and her three-month old twins, Natsu sensed that she was about to reveal something that had really upset her.

"They weren't even in my office, they were out in the tea room. I was trying to wrap up the meeting so that I could go see them when Jonah started crying. Crying really loudly." Lucy covered her face with her hands.

"Hey, c'mon, it can't be that bad…" began Natsu.

"My boobs leaked Natsu! I was wearing a white shirt, and my boobs leaked! The front of my shirt was covered in two big wet patches. And Jason just kept staring at them. He didn't look away and I didn't know what to do! I was so embarrassed! So I pretended I had another meeting and went and hid in the bathroom for half an hour. I had to rinse out my shirt and dry it under the hand dryer."

Natsu gently pulled Lucy's hands away from her face, squeezing her fingers. "Creepy bastard", growled Natsu. "I mean, I guess he was surprised, but staring at you when it's somethin' that you can't help - that's just wrong! Remind me to punch him for ya if I see him at the office Christmas party."

Lucy giggled, but it was a worn-out tired giggle. "I'm so sorry Natsu. I know at the moment I'm not always the nicest person to be around, but I'm just so exhausted. I can't sleep properly because I can't get comfy, and when I finally do, I have to get up to go to the toilet, or these stupid Braxton Hicks contractions start up again. I keep forgetting stuff and dropping things. I don't even know what my feet look like anymore."

While she was talking, Natsu kept on rubbing her stomach. He drew up her singlet top, so it revealed the pale skin stretched tight over her bump, and the darker line that ran down the centre of her stomach. He traced his finger around her belly button. Previously it had been a cute little dimple that he could poke his finger in and get the reward of immediate Lucy giggles because she was very ticklish there, but was now it was stretched flat with the pressure of their baby behind it.

Her body amazed him. The fact that there was a whole other person in there was beyond incredible. The baby wasn't kicking so much anymore, because the midwife had informed them that he or she had pretty much run out of stretching room, but every now and then Lucy's stomach would move, and Natsu's hand would reach out to rub and press on her skin where the baby was. When she had finished speaking, he dropped a loving kiss to the top of her head.

"Luce, you know what I think? I think today was your last day at work. It was a shitty day, and I don't think you need to go back there tomorrow. I think tomorrow we're both gonna call in sick, and I'm gonna pamper my princess while I still can, before we're both too busy running around after a newborn for stuff like that. What do ya say?"

"Natsu, that sounds so tempting, but…"

"But nothin. I'll even call the midwives at the hospital to see if we can get a medical certificate for ya to mail to them. You've already done all the hand over stuff Luce. I'll call Gajeel tonight and let him know – all the appointments we have booked in for tomorrow are smaller tattoos, he can handle it."

Lucy sighed. "Okay". Suddenly she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She placed her hands over his on her belly, and they both smiled as the baby bumped a small knee, or perhaps an elbow, into their joined hands.

"Thank you Natsu", she sniffed, feeling a little teary again, but in a good way. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Natsu kissed the top of her head again, and then laughed as Lucy's stomach growled loudly.

"Right back at ya, baby girl." He helped Lucy sit upright on the sofa and reached over to the coffee table for a bowl of Bolognese and garlic bread with a fork stuck in the middle of it. "Here ya go madame, fine dining at its very best."

Lucy began to shovel in forkfuls of the savoury mince into her mouth, suddenly realising how hungry she was. "So Natsu, what sort of pampering were you thinking of?"

"Well, I thought I could give you a foot massage and paint your toenails for you", began Natsu, stuffing a piece of garlic bread in his mouth. "Maybe we could watch a movie together on the sofa." His green eyes took on a greedy glint. "If you were feeling up to it, perhaps I could give you a 'Natsu Special' massage, with all the trimmings." He waggled his eyebrows at her teasingly.

Lucy grinned at him. "Is that massage for you, or for me?"

"Both of us", winked Natsu, leaning across to give her a loving kiss, which became two kisses, then three. Lucy moaned softly into his mouth and opened her lips, ready to return his kisses, but then couldn't stifle a yawn.

"Sorry!" she squeaked. Natsu chuckled, placing one last gentle kiss on her lips before drawing back.

"But tonight princess, it's off to bed early for you. I got lots of pampering I wanna do to you, and I can't do it if you're too tired to stay awake."

He bent down to kiss her belly too. "No bedtime stories tonight kiddo, your Mama needs her rest. And listen up, stop treatin' her so rough. She's the only one you got, so you gotta take care of her. Try not to tap-dance on her bladder tonight, so she can get a good night's sleep, okay?" He kissed her stomach one more time, then got to his feet, holding his hands out to Lucy. "Bedtime Luce."

Lucy grumbled, but Natsu helped her to her feet, and gently pushed her down the hallway to their bedroom. He grabbed the extra pillows, and after she got herself settled on her side, he stuffed one between her knees, and the special wedged one under her bump. He knelt down next to the bed to gently stroke her forehead as she yawned again.

As her eyes drifted closed, he realised that their nights like this, with just the two of them here in their home would be coming to an end in just a few weeks, maybe even just a few days. It both excited and terrified him.

He stood for a few moments, watching Lucy sleep, her hands curled protectively over her rounded belly filled with their child, then quietly pulled the door closed so she wouldn't be disturbed.

* * *

"Natsu?" Lucy's voice was soft in his ear, but her voice sounded a little strained.

"Wassup Lucy?" he asked blearily, blinking his eyes against the bright light streaming into the bedroom from the hallway. Did he forget to turn that off? His eyes flicked to the digital clock on their bedside table – 3am. He'd stayed up for a few hours playing Team Fortress 2 with Gray and Gajeel, then gone to bed around midnight, snuggling in next to his wife, already planning their day together in his head. But she wasn't lying next to him now.

Lucy was leaning over the bed, her hands resting on the mattress while her hips rocked from side to side. She was panting and a small moan of pain slipped past her clenched teeth.

"Shit. This is it huh?" He rolled out of bed quickly, trying to push down his feelings of panic. He had to be calm. He was Lucy's support person for her labour, and he needed to stay calm. He pushed Lucy's sweaty bangs out of her face. "What do you need Luce?"

"My back", she groaned through clenched teeth, and he moved behind her, pushing his thumbs in hard circles above the base of her spine.

"Helpin' or hurtin'?" he asked, trying very hard to keep the anxious tone out of his voice.

"Helping", she whimpered, and he gritted his teeth. He'd known Lucy would be in pain during labour, of course he'd known that, but now that he was faced with possibly hours of her hurting, he didn't know what to do with all these feelings. Guilt, excitement, anxiety… he pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on trying to assist his wife through the pain of her contraction.

Lucy gave an exhausted sigh. "It's finished." She straightened up awkwardly, and Natsu pulled her into a hug.

"How long has this been goin' on?"

"A while", she said, not looking him in the eye.

"Luuucyyy - what does 'a while' mean?"

"Well, you know how I said those Braxton Hicks contractions had been bothering me all day? I worked out that maybe, they were actually the real thing. I woke up two hours ago when they started getting hard to sleep through, but you looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to wake you up."

"Lucy!" Natsu groaned.

"Well", she pouted, crossing her arms, "I figured at least one of us should be sleeping - who knows how long this is gonna take! I just wanted to let you sleep until I couldn't handle it on my own."

Natsu tugged on a bit of loose hair that had fallen out of her messy bun, then kissed her pouting lips. "So stubborn. What am I gonna do with you, huh?"

She grinned at him. "You're gonna help me pack the hospital bag, because I haven't done it yet. Can you get the list?"

Natsu rolled his eyes a little at yet another list, but jogged into the kitchen to get it off the fridge. Lucy had always been a list maker extraordinaire, even in high school when he'd first met her. She was always organised, and hated being late for anything, where he was the exact opposite. He grinned. Looks like the baby was going to take after her mother in that regard.

He wandered back into the bedroom, list in his hand. "Hey Luce, looks like the baby… oh, shit." Lucy was standing in the middle of the room with a mortified look on her face. There was was liquid pooling around her feet.

"Uh, Natsu?"

He dropped the list on the bed and took her hands in his. "Okay. It's okay babe."

"Natsu, my water broke", Lucy said in a shocked voice, stating the obvious.

"Uh huh. Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna help you into the shower, and you're gonna get clean, and I'll pack the bag, and then we'll head off to the birthing centre. Sounds like a plan, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay." Lucy grimaced as she stepped forwards, more fluids dribbling down her leg. "This is so gross. I'm so sorry Natsu, the carpet…"

"Who cares? We'll just put a rug there or somethin' if it stains. You okay to walk?"

"Yeah… no wait, stop, here comes another one." Lucy panted and leaned against Natsu as he glanced at the bedroom clock for the time, then rubbed his thumbs into her back again, counting in his head.

"Keep breathin' Lucy. That's my girl. You got this. You're so fuckin' awesome. I love you so much, baby." He kissed her sweaty forehead, wishing he could take some of her pain away. "All done?"

Lucy nodded, still leaning against him.

"Let's get you in the shower and then I'm gonna call the birthing centre to let 'em know we're comin' in soon, cause that contraction lasted sixty seconds, more or less." He helped Lucy across the hallway, chuckling at her disgust as he peeled her wet boxers and underpants down her legs. "Don't worry about it, Luce", he grinned, turning on the water in the shower nice and hot, like she liked it.

"You don't think it's gross?" she asked softly.

"Nah. That time I watched you eat potato chips and ice-cream was much grosser than this", he teased, helping her out of her singlet top. "I'm gonna go pack stuff. You gonna be okay here for a few minutes?"

Lucy launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much Natsu, I really really do."

Natsu rubbed her back, burying his nose in her hair. It still smelled like strawberry shampoo, and he took a moment to breathe it in, helping him calm down a little. Everything was moving so fast. "I love you too, Luce. You ready for team Dragneel to kick some baby makin' ass?"

Lucy giggled. "You know it. Go get that bag ready while I get clean. Do you think you could get me that old pink t-shirt dress I wear on the weekends? And some underpants and um", she blushed a little, "a maternity pad, in case I leak some more - they should be in the top drawer I think."

"Aye Sir!"

He sprinted back to their bedroom to stuff things in Lucy's backpack. Based on the last contraction, he guessed he had about five minutes before he needed to get back to her. Clothes for Lucy, baby outfit for coming home, baby blanket, nappies. He glanced through the list again, trying to judge what would be most important, and what he could get for her later. What the fuck Lucy? Scented candles? That was definitely on the 'not now' list.

"Naaatsuuuu!"

Fuck. That was four minutes - they were getting closer together. He sprinted back across the hallway. Lucy was leaning against the tiles, tapping her forehead hard against them as she swayed, whimpering.

"Luce, you're gonna hurt yourself!" He climbed into the shower with her, turning her so her head was resting on his shoulder and the hot water was aimed at her back. He murmured softly into her hair, stroking her arms. "You're doin' so good babe, I'm so proud of you." He counted in his head again, up to sixty.

Lucy sighed against him. "That one really hurt." Natsu pulled back from her, pushing her fringe out of the way to inspect the red mark on her forehead.

"What were ya tryin' to do, give yourself concussion? Jeez Luce!" Lucy touched her forehead gingerly.

"I don't really know what that was about. I didn't realise I was doing it until you made me stop." Natsu turned off the water and wrapped a towel around Lucy's shoulders, shucking off his wet boxers and grabbing a towel for himself.

"Okay, let's hustle. That was four minutes. So let's get you dressed in those four minutes, and then we'll wait the contraction out, and then get in the car. I've packed most of the stuff, and anything I haven't I can come back for later okay?"

Lucy nodded, trying to hurry, drying herself while Natsu grabbed her clothes, helping her into her underpants while she put her head through the t-shirt dress. Natsu wasn't sure he'd got the pad exactly right, but it was in there. Lucy pushed her arms in the sleeves, and Natsu grabbed his phone, opening up the timer app. He was just dragging on his own clothes when Lucy clutched at his t-shirt.

He tapped the timer on his phone to start counting the seconds. "There we go, you can do this. Deep breaths Lucy." Natsu was starting to panic a little now. The birthing centre was a good twenty minute drive away. What if Lucy had the baby in the car? Fuck. He rubbed her back, trying to take deep breaths himself to calm down.

Natsu grabbed the backpack while Lucy shuffled her feet into her slippers. He grinned at her, and she whacked him on the arm. "Shut. Up. They're the only ones that fit."

Natsu snorted. "I didn't say a thing", he grinned, getting ready to pull their front door behind him. "Let's see have we got everything? Keys, wallet, backpack, Lucy, baby. All good." He pulled the door shut, then punched his fist into the air. "Alright! Operation 'and Baby Dragneel Makes Three' ready to commence!"

Lucy snorted. "Shush you dork! It's the middle of the night, you'll wake everyone up!"

"Lovable dork", Natsu corrected, taking her hand to help her down the flight of stairs to the garage underneath the apartment block.

Lucy kissed him on the cheek. "My lovable dork", she said softly, and Natsu gifted her with a smile so wide, his eyes crinkled up so they were barely visible.

"Damn straight I am."

* * *

Natsu gritted his teeth, one hand on the steering wheel, the other gripping Lucy's tightly as she moaned in the front seat next to him. They were still about ten minutes away from the birthing centre. He could just hear Wendy's voice on speaker over Lucy's moans of pain.

"That's it Lucy, you should be nearly through it now", she said, her voice calm. "Keep breathing."

Lucy sighed as the contraction eased off. "It's finished. But it hurt so much worse sitting still in the car seat."

Natsu glanced at her, then back at the road. "I'm sorry Lucy. We're nearly there babe."

"I'll let reception know, and have your records ready to admit you", said Wendy cheerfully. "See you soon!" She ended the call, and Natsu wondered how anyone could sound that cheerful at nearly 4am in the morning. But he was glad it was Wendy who was on call tonight. They'd got used to her during their regular appointments and it would be good to see a friendly face.

"Nearly there", he repeated, glancing anxiously at Lucy.

"Eyes on the road Natsu!" exclaimed Lucy, squeezing his hand.

"Sorry." His eyes darted to her, and back to the road again. "I just… I wish I could help more."

Lucy stroked his fingers. "You are helping. I couldn't do this without you." She pulled his fingers to her lips and kissed them gently. "Before I woke you up, when the pain started getting worse, I was beginning to get frightened, working myself up. As soon as you were there beside me, I wasn't frightened anymore. I'm never scared when you're with me."

Natsu's throat thickened and the backs of his eyes burned. He quickly blinked away the moisture beginning to wash into his eyes. "I'm glad. There isn't anythin' I wouldn't do for you Lucy, you know that don't ya?" He took advantage of the empty streets, and risked going a little faster, hoping if he did get a ticket he could plead his case of 'pregnant wife in active labour'. He let go of Lucy's hand momentarily so he could turn the corner. "Two more blocks Lucy. Nearly there."

Lucy whimpered in her seat, gripping the upholstery tightly as another contraction took hold. "Hnnnn. Natsu, it hurts", she panted, hunching over in her seat.

"Dammit. Fuck this." Natsu put his foot to the floor and they sped through the empty intersection against a red light, and they arrived at the driveway of the birthing centre, adjacent to the hospital. Natsu leapt out of the front seat and opened Lucy's door helping her upright so she could rock against him through the worst of the contraction.

"My hero", she whispered teasingly as it finally ebbed away. "But I'm not paying your speeding fine for you if you get one."

"As I said, anythin' for you milady", grinned Natsu, sketching his approximation of a courtly bow. "Oh look Princess, your carriage awaits." Lucy swatted him on the arm as Wendy helped her into a waiting wheelchair.

"Go and park the car you dork!"

"That's lovable dork, Lucy! Get it right, why don't ya!"

After parking the car quickly he jogged back into the birthing centre, backpack bouncing a little . The lady at reception smiled at him.

"First time Dad?" Natsu nodded, his eyes a little panicked.

"Can you tell me which room they've taken Lucy Dragneel to please?"

"Sure I can, right after you've filled in these forms", she said cheerfully, holding out a clipboard and pen. Natsu sighed audibly, but quickly filled in the information to the best of his ability, hoping the woman would be able to read his chicken scratch writing, because he couldn't be bothered to make it look neat. The receptionist glanced over the form, then grinned. "Room 12, second left. Good luck!"

Lucy was on her hands and knees on the bed when Natsu poked his head in the door. Wendy's head peeked out from behind her. "Come in Natsu!" She flicked off the rubber gloves on her hand. "9 cm dilated, 100% effacement. If you do end up with a speeding ticket, I can write them a medical certificate letting them know your wife was about to have a baby in your car."

"Natsu, another one", Lucy gasped, and Natsu was quick to cross to her side. "This isn't fair. I just had one. I don't like it, make it stop!"

"Not long now", Wendy grinned. "I'd say two or three more and you'll be ready to push this baby out Lucy."

Lucy whimpered as Natsu stroked her back firmly. She rested her head on Natsu's shoulder once the contraction had passed. "But I had a plan!" she protested in a tired petulant voice. "There was meant to be soft music, and candles, and a bath!"

Natsu snorted. "I was gonna say back at the apartment that our baby was obviously gonna take after you, because it's gettin' here early", he grinned, "but not goin' with the plan? That definitely sounds more like me!" Lucy smiled tiredly, then moaned. "Another one? You got this Lucy. Show those contractions who's boss."

Lucy moaned, pushing her head hard into Natsu's shoulder. "I can't", she whispered brokenly, her body trembling. "Can't do it. Hurts too much Natsu."

Natsu gritted his teeth, his jaw bunching. He stroked Lucy's sweaty bangs away from her forehead, looking into her pain filled eyes. "Yes you can. There's no one stronger than you Lucy. C'mon sweetheart, Wendy said you're nearly there. I love you so much, and I am so proud of you. You got this." He draped Lucy's arms around his neck, running his hands down her back. She panted as another contraction began as soon as the previous one had ended. Wendy twitched up Lucy's t-shirt dress, squatting down to take a look, then feeling with her fingers.

"Ten centimeters! Well done Lucy! When you feel the next contraction, if you feel the urge to push, you go right ahead. Let your body do what it needs to do."

Lucy clutched her arms around Natsu's neck like a lifeline, her forehead pushed into his neck, moaning as she pushed with each new contraction. Natsu kept up his whispers in her ear, telling her how strong she was, how amazing, how much he loved her. Suddenly Lucy hissed in pain, and Natsu's eyes flew to Wendy, who smiled at him, nodding her head to ease his fears.

"It's okay. I know that hurts Lucy, but that's the baby's head crowning. Nearly there."

"Did you hear that Lucy! You're so close to being done. You're so close to meeting our baby." Natsu kissed her sweaty forehead, as Lucy moaned tiredly against his neck, then braced herself as another contraction hit, panting and whimpering. "That's it, that's my girl."

"Head's out Lucy, just the shoulders to go."

Natsu watched Lucy in awe as she grit her teeth and pushed again, her eyes squeezed shut in total concentration.

"Well done! Congratulations, Natsu and Lucy, you have a daughter."

A reedy whimpering cry filled the room, then gained strength. The baby sounded extremely upset about suddenly being out in the big bright world, and Natsu and Lucy laughed together as Wendy scooped the baby up towards them, Lucy turning to lean against Natsu so their little girl could come to rest up on her chest. Apart from squalling indignantly, she was tiny, and pink and perfect. Wendy produced a small striped blanket to drape over the baby's back to keep her warm.

"Oh my baby", Lucy whispered. "I am so happy to finally meet you." All the pain of labour was forgotten in an instant as she placed her hands gently over the baby's back, and Natsu placed his hands over hers. A sniffing sound made her look upwards. "Oh Natsu."

Tears were pouring down Natsu's cheeks. "I'm sorry", he said roughly. "I don't know why I'm cryin'; I'm so happy! I guess, you were in so much pain, and I was so worried, and now she's finally here!" He sniffed again and Wendy handed him a tissue which he used to scrub away the tears roughly. "You were fuckin' awesome Lucy. I'll never forget this day, not as long as I live. You made me a _Dad_." He breathed out a deep sigh, then stroked his finger gently over his daughter's wet curls, which looked like they might be blonde.

"Welcome to the world, Layla Dragneel."


	2. Initiation of Fire

Natsu watched as Lucy frantically checked her books and online forums again to find out some clue as to why Layla continued to cry. They'd both been up all night, with Layla feeding and crying and refusing to sleep, rinse and repeat, and Lucy had worked herself up into an emotional wreck. He rocked his wailing daughter in his arms, making the shushing noise that usually worked, but she continued to cry.

Suddenly Lucy burst into tears. "I don't know what to do Natsu!" she sobbed. Natsu moved over to her, stroking her back with one hand while he rocked Layla in the other. The sun was finally peeking into their bedroom window, signaling the beginning of a new day. A new day where they were all tired, exhausted and at their wits end. Something was gonna have to give.

"Luce, I want you to go have a shower, and then you're gonna take a nap, okay."

"What? No, I can't do that while she's crying Natsu! She needs me!"

"Of course she does", he soothed. "But she needs a Mumma who's clean and fresh and not headed towards crazy town from lack of sleep. I can hold the fort for a few hours."

"But…"

"No buts, off you go."

He headed over to the change table, grabbing one of the muslin cloths they used as a wrap and gently placed Layla down on it. She'd been changed just before Lucy had fed her twenty minutes ago, but he took a quick peek inside her nappy, just to be sure. All clean. Ignoring Lucy's tearful protests, he wrapped his daughter up snugly in a muslin wrap so she resembled a tiny burrito the way the nurse at the birthing centre had shown him, then rocked her in his arms as she continued to wail.

"C'mon pumpkin, give your Dad just a tiny break here. Sleep is amazing. One of the best things - you really need to give it another try. If you heard someone say sleep is for the weak, they were lyin'. Sleep makes you strong, makes you grow." He sighed as Layla continued to cry hysterically. "C'mon baby girl. Your Mumma is tryin' so hard for you, really and truly. We all need to have a little sleep, and then everythin' will look better when we wake up. I promise."

He heard the sound of the shower, and he sighed even harder as he heard the sound of Lucy sobbing. This had been a hard week on her. It had been hard for him too, but at least he didn't have physically recovering from the birth, as well as hormones and breastfeeding to deal with as well. Natsu had always thought of breastfeeding as something that just happened, but just like any skill, it was something that had to be learned. Poor Lucy's bruised and battered nipples were a testament to the steep learning curve, but she'd stuck at it despite the pain, and things seemed to be settling down now on that front at least.

Was he doing enough to make sure Lucy was sleeping enough? When Layla woke several times a night, he would get up, change her quickly and then present her to Lucy so she could feed her. He tried very hard to stay awake while Lucy was breastfeeding, but sometimes he nodded off – there was something so amazingly peaceful about watching his wife feed his daughter.

He thought he'd loved Lucy before, but now… words really couldn't describe how he felt – love didn't seem enough. Lucy was so beautiful sometimes it took his breath away. He remembered the night before last, watching as she'd fed Layla, her blonde hair illuminated by the night light near the bed, cooing softly down at their tiny round cheeked baby girl.

His musing was interrupted when a still slightly tearful Lucy appeared from the bathroom, her damp blonde hair up in a ponytail, wearing clean shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes were red rimmed, and she looked so very tired, more tired than he'd ever seen her. She did her best to smile for him, but he could see she was still feeling panicky.

"Natsu, thank you for looking after her while I had a shower. I'm feeling much better already. Why don't you give Layla to me and go and have one too?"

Natsu smiled tiredly at her, continuing to rock Layla. "Nuh uh. That wasn't the deal. Bed for you. She's not due for another feed for two hours, so go sleep."

Lucy bit her lip. "Natsu, do you think I'm a bad mother?"

"What? Fuck no!"

"It's just… I'm her mother, I should know what's wrong, I should just know! What if I'm not making enough milk and I'm starving her? What if I've eaten something that she's allergic to? What if she's getting sick, because I've missed something important?"

"Lucy", he replied gently. "Just because your her mother doesn't mean you need to know everything straight away, not anymore than I should because I'm her dad. We're still learning, we'll work it out okay? But right now, I want you to get some sleep, and then once you've had a rest and you're feelin' more like yourself, I'll take a nap. I promise if I really need you, I'll wake you up."

"You promise?"

"Yup. Go sleep. Layla and I are just gonna go for a little wander around the hallway. Listen to some music, it'll help you relax."

He moved into the hallway and shut the bedroom door firmly. "Alright Layla - 'Operation Sleepy Time Because Mumma and Dad are Going Slightly Cuckoo' is commencing now. Ya gotta get with the family program pumpkin. You're part of team Dragneel now, okay?" He heard a small giggle from the other side of the bedroom door. "That doesn't sound like you're sleepin' Lucy! Get with the family program!"

The tiny girl wailed in Natsu's arms, and he cuddled her closer as he walked up and down the hallway. He'd be panicking too if he weren't so exhausted. He begun singing random nonsense, hoping that would calm their tiny week old daughter down. But it seemed like Layla was having none of it. Who would have thought such a tiny thing was capable of making so much noise? Their neighbours must love them right now.

He wished he knew what to do. Layla was warm, fed, burped, changed. They'd checked her fingers and toes to make sure there were no little threads wrapped around them from her onesie - a possibility that had not even occurred to them until Lucy had seen it suggested on an online forum. She didn't have a fever. No nappy rash. He tried to think of things from Layla's point of view. The world was probably still a scary place. Was she frightened? He smoothed his hand over his tiny daughter's back, wishing there was some way he could communicate to her that she was safe and loved. So loved.

He couldn't believe she'd been here for a whole week already, and that it was really only a week. How could he love someone so much when he'd only known them a week? He couldn't wait until she finally smiled, laughed, called him Daddy. He was sure his heart would shatter and be remade with how much adoration he felt. But according to Lucy's books, that first smile was still nearly a month or so away. And she definitely wasn't smiling now.

He knew this would be hard, the first few weeks with a new baby. Everyone had told them, Lucy's parenting books were full of warnings that the first weeks were hard, but living it was something else. And it made it even harder that his and Lucy's parents weren't alive anymore. He would give anything to be able to call his Mum and ask questions about whether he was doing things right, or if he'd done something similar when he was a baby, and he was sure Lucy felt the same. He pictured his Mum, her warm smile, her tight hugs. She would have loved Layla so much, and it didn't seem fair that she had missed this, and that Layla wouldn't have the doting grandmother she deserved. He sighed, shifting Layla in his arms so her tiny head was resting on his shoulder, his hand patting softly and rhythmically on her bottom.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring don't shine, Papa's gonna buy you a bottle of wine…" Wait, no that couldn't be right. Although if someone offered him a glass right now…

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill tone of his phone ringing. He wasn't sure who would be ringing around breakfast time on a Saturday morning, but he didn't want Lucy to wake up if she was finally asleep, so he moved quickly to the kitchen where his mobile was plugged into the charger, carefully tucking Layla into the crook of his arm so he had a free hand.

"Hello", he said gruffly, hoping whoever was on the other end of the line could hear him over Layla's cries.

"Hi Natsu." Levy's voice sounded annoyingly cheerful. "I just wanted to check in to see if today was a good day to pop around for a visit. I've got some casseroles that I made for you and… is Layla okay?"

Natsu sighed in relief. Levy was a mother. He could ask her questions. "She's been crying and feeding all night Levy. Luce was exhausted, so I made her have a shower and take a nap, but… I don't know if I'm doing this right. She won't calm down, even though I've got her wrapped up, and that usually works, and I'm…" he gulped a little, realising he was starting to feel a little teary himself.

"Hey, it's okay", soothed Levy on the other end of the phone. "She's a week old; she's probably going through a little growth spurt. And sometimes a baby will cluster feed to increase their mother's milk supply. You're not doing anything wrong Natsu, neither is Lucy. It might last a day or two and then she'll settle down again. It happened with the twins too."

"God that must have been fucking awful", groaned Natsu, rocking Layla as she whimpered in his arms. "How did you manage it with two! Lucy and I are barely surviving Levy – I know everyone said it would be hard, but…"

"Yeah, until you're actually doing it, there's no way to describe it is there", said Levy sympathetically. "In fact, listen… I think Layla's calming down. Keep talking to me, I think hearing you speak is helping."

Natsu could have wept in relief. "Thank fucking Christ", he whispered. "I'm so tired Levy. How's Gajeel going at work? Is Erik working out okay?" He was there during the interview; he'd personally examined the guy's portfolio, and was happy with it, but the tattoo parlour had been picking up business and could get really busy at times.

"It's all good – they've had a few arguments, but everything's calmed down now", giggled Levy. "When Layla's a bit more settled, you should pop in and see them." Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, I'd like to do that, for sure. Whaddya think baby girl, would ya like to come and see Daddy's work?" The tiny sleeping baby tucked into his arm nuzzled her head into the crook of his elbow, and he couldn't help the single tear that rolled down his cheek. "She's asleep."

"Good work Natsu", said Levy softly. "I'll pop around after lunch with those casseroles if that's okay?"

"Sure, sure", answered Natsu softly. He walked slowly over to the big winged armchair near the lounge room window that they'd bought specifically for Lucy to feed their baby in, and sat down carefully. "I'm sure Lucy would love to see you. She's been a bit down on herself this morning. Thinks she should know everything about bein' a mum and she freaked herself out a bit. Can you talk to her?"

"Of course I can! I'd love to see her, and I can't wait to give Layla another snuggle. You've got this Natsu. You've both got this, you're doing great."

Another tear rolled down Natsu's cheek. "I… thanks Levy" he whispered, his voice cracking a little.

He could hear the smile in Levy's voice. "It's an initiation of fire, I know, but being a parent… there's nothing better. Welcome to fatherhood Natsu."

* * *

_I still remember those first few weeks with a newborn. Definitely crazy town. There's a reason they use sleep deprivation as torture. Ah, babies. They're lucky they're cute._


End file.
